Grab some coffee...

 

Grab some coffee, let's talk.

Well, I've been trying to get a blog in for well over a week, and I can't seem to get all my thoughts lined out. Too many, all at once, and it kinda feels like a squirrel in traffic!!  So, let's see if I can get this one typed and published before my brain takes off again.

To say that I'm irritated by a multitude of issues would be, I think the biggest understatement of the year. I'm going to attempt to break this down, and maybe that will help me wrangle these damned squirrels! I truly think they are calmer than my thoughts have been this year!

Anyway, obviously, the political circus has really come to a head. I don't care what party you associate with, they are corrupt. They have completely disenfranchised the American people in lieu of foreign countries and foreign citizens. They have all neglected their oaths, and are working overtime to remove our rights. Not to mention the scandals that have come to light - from Epstein to newly declassified watergate files, from Russian collusion, to J6, to the laptop from hell, from JFK to nearly every 3 letter agency and all 3 branches of government. It's sad how many people are still stuck in the Matrix. It's past time to take the red pill, and take off the blinders. I'm not dwelling on this, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink.

We are currently 13 days from Thanksgiving, getting turkey and necessities for the traditional Thanksgiving meal has been horrendous! IF you can find them, they are pricey. Even though Wal-Mart and Aldi have claimed to roll back prices. Finding many of the staple sides is difficult, or again, pricey. Thursday, I went into one of our local grocery stores, not my usual store, but thought I'd try to get a few things I hadn't been able to find. A head of lettuce was $4.59. They all looked pretty bad...browning/slimy leaves and even though they were bigger, they were not solid heads. The bags of garden salad were 2.59 each, and just plain shredded lettuce (8 oz pkg) were 1.45. A 14 pound turkey, a brand I had never heard of, was over $30. I shared on a video on my Facebook page, a few days ago, about my usual grocery store only having 2 turkeys, a sign saying they couldn't get lettuce and several fresh produce items. This is disturbing to me. We typically have a vegetable try with Thanksgiving, and have had a lettuce salad too. I personally eat lettuce year round, so not being able to get it, at a reasonable cost, is upsetting. I'm not saying they won't ever get it, they just did not have what I wanted at the time. It made me wonder if that wasn't going to be an ongoing theme. These stores have a decent amount of items, right now. However, the things we want/need, are touch & go. So, for me, foregoing fresh produce is not life threatening, but it does upset my personal body care. Fresh fruits and vegetables help me to maintain my immune system and counter act allergic and sensitivity issues. Eating processed foods decreases our immune system and allows illnesses to take hold. Like so many others, we may have to make some changes to our traditional Thanksgiving meal, but we will still have a meal with our loved ones, none-the-less.

The next holiday being Christmas, good grief Charlie Brown! A brief look at the prices over the weekend and boy was I glad to not have little ones to buy for! While we have always limited our Christmas giving, because for us, it's never about the gifts. Christmas in our home has always been about family and the biggest gift is being together. However, we do have gifts and now that our kids are older, their wants have also gotten bigger. We still do minimal on expense for Christmas. We try to stick to one or two Santa gifts of wants and a need, and from us...we do the same. We have had nearly 20 years of a Christmas present to open on Christmas Eve...which usually consists of new PJ's, popcorn, hot chocolate, and a little candy. Christmas is a big deal around our house, but not because of gifts. Each year, our family looks forward to this time of year because of our gatherings. We usually have Thanksgiving, then our Christmas Open House, our traditional Christmas Eve and Day, and then our New Year's Eve of snack foods, board games, music, watching the ball drop before we go to bed. 

I want to talk about our open house for a bit. This is something I remember hearing about years ago, from one of my grandparents. They used to invite friends and family to one house or another, for a "party." They gathered to share snacks, fellowship and the season. So, when we moved to our farm, I wanted to continue an old fashioned tradition, that seemed to have been forgotten. It has turned into such an amazing event every year! Each year this grows, and we have so many neighbors, friends and family that attend...it truly makes my entire holiday season!! I spend the week prior, baking, making homemade fudge/candies/cookies/breads, we have a couple types of soup, crackers and dips, and people can come in and our or just stop in to eat and then head out. Our house is super full, but it truly is such a positive energy! I'm anxious for this year's gathering. It's a true reminder of the spirit of Christmas.

Now, I'm going to dive into another topic that gets a little sticky! Relationships. Yeah, I'm going to jump into this one, and see where it goes. It's been interesting watching my boys find their way in relationships. I'm not exactly the most positive on a lot of this subject. I think as relationships progress, people get lazy. Many of us, put our best foot forward in the beginning. We make efforts, we pay attention to details of the other, and we have a common point of interest that keeps a bond. As time goes on, we begin to take advantage of that person. Whether that is intentional or not, it happens. If you have done the work early on, you can grow together. Many don't though. So, as time progresses, you grow apart. You lose a common thread, and that bond slips away. As I said, both my boys have found incredible young ladies. I truly love them both. I just pray that they learn from those of us older, and don't get complacent or lazy. I hope they continue to date these beautiful women, I hope they actually listen to them and hear them, I hope they continue to give 100% everyday, every year. 50/50 is only in divorce...

Finally, today, I want to remind everyone to keep stocking up. I know, everyone gets tired of hearing it...and I get tired of saying it. The thing is, as you find things on sale, as the deals that have come up lately are implemented, now is a good time. Get those extra canned goods, get those extra items that you can store in your pantry/extra bedroom/basement. Prices are not going to get any cheaper for awhile. Stocking up over the past year, could have saved you a ton. So, now we are paying a little more, but the sales being offered will give a little break. You can still get $1 cans of Campbell's soups at Dollar General stores. They have several items that are less than $2 a can/box. If you are storing boxed items, have some hard plastic totes to avoid mouse issues! Also, get rid of excess cardboard/newspapers/magazines. These things draw mice, especially in Winter. Make sure you have a handheld can opener, bottle opener. Canned goods aren't useful if you can't open them. Have at least one cast iron pan that you can use on a grill or open fire, if the power were to go out, you could still cook! Don't forget:  toilet paper, paper towels, disposable plates/flatware/cups, soaps(body, laundry,dish), pet supplies, medications, coffee(for coffee drinkers), spices, noodles/pasta, powder milk, etc. The thing to remember is, you could be having to make things from scratch if they aren't available at the stores. So, a few items to keep in mind:  flour, honey, sugar, yeast, oil, butter, salt, baking soda, baking powder, brown sugar. With these staples, you can make so many things from scratch! 

So, I'm going to wrap up today. Still lots on my mind, but will have to tackle that later! Have a great weekend!